Dade City emu wrangled by Florida police after morning stroll
Dade City police said officers caught a loose emu without injuries after an unusual morning dispatch call in Florida.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
A Dade City emu turned a Florida police shift into a feathered foot chase after dispatch sent officers to deal with the loose bird wandering around town, according to the Dade City Police Department.
The department said in a social media post that officers responded to the unusual morning call and brought the situation under control. UPI reported the incident on July 27, citing the department’s post and photos.
Police said the wandering bird was safely captured, with no injuries reported to people or to the emu. The department’s post described the call with a wink, saying dispatch sent officers on an “emu hunt” before the morning coffee had done its work.
What happened to the emu in Dade City?
According to Dade City police, the emu was loose in town when officers were sent to catch it. The department said the bird was secured safely, and UPI reported that photos showed the Australian bird riding in the back of a patrol cruiser after the capture.
The police department did not say where the emu came from, how long it had been loose or whether it was returned to an owner. No additional details about the exact location of the capture were included in the department’s account as reported by UPI.
An emu is an Australian bird, and in this case it became the morning assignment for officers who were more likely expecting ordinary calls. The department joked that its officers are trained for plenty of scenarios, but chasing an emu was not part of academy training.
The post from the Dade City Police Department said the animal appeared to have chosen “a stroll around town,” and the department credited officers with handling the call without anyone getting hurt.
UPI reported that the department shared multiple photos connected to the incident. The images included the bird after officers had captured it, including a shot of the emu in the rear of a patrol vehicle.
The incident landed in UPI’s Odd News section, where the agency framed it as one of the day’s stranger animal calls. For Dade City police, it was a reminder that a patrol shift can switch from routine to ridiculous in a hurry.
The department’s own summary kept the tone light, saying officers swapped their normal duties for a chase involving a very unexpected “track star.” The key outcome, according to police, was simple: the bird was caught, the scene was controlled and everyone stayed safe.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.